...Pastoral Care in action through the example of the Apostle Paul and his dealings with Philemon and Onesimus. 1. Introduction Pastoral care is a faithful ministry towards people who are in need. This ministry comes from a genuine concern for each person, caring about him as person of unique worth, and caring for him as a mutual responsibility. The Bible has many examples of care giving and it has been a constant guide for pastors in helping people who are in need. As such, this paper is an attempt to look at Pastoral Care in action through the example of the Apostle Paul and his dealings with Philemon and Onesimus. 2. The Apostle Paul: A Model for Pastoral Care A study on Apostle Paul in the New Testament will further enhance our understanding of Pastoral Care in the church. It is surprising how little attention has been directed to the apostle Paul as pastor.1 This is unfortunate, particularly because Paul’s letters are themselves the product of his pastoral activities and offer us direct and immediate access to them. 2 Moreover, we have Paul’s own testimony that his pastoral concerns loomed large in his apostolic work. After presenting a lengthy recital of his apostolic hardships he adds, ―And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches‖ (II Cor. 11:28). This is not mere rhetoric; the truth of this comment is validated on every page of the apostle’s letters. There, one sees him dealing with the needs of those for whose...
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...Introduction The Book of Acts is a literary masterpiece filled with stories of miracles, faith, chronicles of the growth of Christianity, Holy Spirit encounters, and stories of supernatural conversions. It is one of the main books of the Bible studied to learn about the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s ability to use anything and anyone for His purpose. The “call” of Saul was one of the most significant events not only in the Book of Acts, but throughout the Bible. Christians in the Twenty-First Century owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the Apostle Paul for his courage and obedience in answering the “call” of God. The spontaneous response to this call has a direct impact on Christians, Jews and non-Jews all over the world. The reason Saul’s call was so important was because it was a fulfillment of Jesus’s Great Commission. Saul’s pedigree as well as his character made him the least likely candidate to become one of the greatest Apostles to the Gentiles. This paper will examine who Paul of Tarsus was, the importance of his call, whether or not he was converted, and the impact his decision to answer God’s call has on Christianity today. Saul of Tarsus Prior to his calling by God, Saul of Tarsus was highly qualified to perform his duties as a Pharisee. By all accounts, he was a faithful, committed, and zealous Jewish Pharisee who felt justified in persecuting Christians because of his duty of protecting the law. In Philippians, Saul describes his pedigree and perceived...
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...two-volume work, and introduces the second volume in a similar manner. He states the correct use of somewhat idiosyncratic political titles corroborates the view that the Book of Acts was written by someone historically close to the events narrated, such as Luke was. Lukan authorship of the Book of Acts explains the extensive linguistic agreement between the it and the Gospel of Luke and the details that Luke includes about the church in Antioch, the city from which he hailed. Several secondary sources confirm the Lukan authorship of the Book of Acts. The Muratorian canon states "Moreover the Acts of the Apostles are included in one book. For 'most excellent Theophilus' Luke compiled the individual events that took place in his presence.” The Anti-Marcionite Prologue identifies Luke as the author of a second volume, Acts: "And afterwards the same Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles." Origen identifies the author of Acts as Luke, the same who wrote the gospel: "Others that it was Luke, he who wrote the gospel and the Acts" (H.E. 6.25.14). Clement of Alexandria accepts Lukan authorship of Acts, as indicated by the following statement: "As Luke in the Acts of the Apostles relates that Paul said, 'Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious'" (Strom. 5.12). Similarly, Eusebius indicates that the view of Clement of Alexandria was that Luke wrote the Book of Acts. Jerome states that Luke wrote both a gospel and the Book of Acts: "He also wrote another...
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...justification by faith through grace alone. These verses assert Paul’s divine calling to establish the gentile church and appeal to Galatian Christians to resist adding to the gospel of grace the observance of certain Jewish traditions including circumcision, Jewish festival and food laws promoted by Jewish Christians (Judaizers), thereby alienating themselves from Christ Elevating themselves these Judaizers claimed to be sent by the apostles in Jerusalem who had known Jesus in the flesh, while undermining Paul’s authority as second-hand (1:11). Paul defends his authority as neither second-hand, received nor taught by man, but direct revelation of Jesus Christ (1:12; 1Cor15:8; Acts9: 3-6; Matt16:16-17). Indeed, his life testifies to the transforming power of the gospel of grace… ‘For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism’, he continues. Cheered by Jews, feared by Christians, Paul was both famous and infamous, but not unknown. In Paul’s zeal (1:13) to uphold ‘the traditions of his fathers’ (the Law), it was not enough to expunge from Jerusalem ‘heretical’ Christians claiming this man Jesus as Messiah fulfilling the Law and bringing an end to temple sacrifice. Rather, Paul sought to annihilate the Christian cult, dragging them to prison or having them killed (Acts7:58-60, 80:1-3, 9:1, Acts26:9). Hebrew of Hebrews, Pharisee of the tribe of Benjamin, taught under the eminent Rabbi Gamaliel I (Acts 22:3; Phil3:5) Paul’s zeal matched his credentials and elevated him above his countryman...
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...DB Forum 1-A Present an overview of the evidence for determining the date Acts was written. What indicators of historical reliability are found in Acts? Historically, the book of Acts is believed by three different schools of thoughts to have been written at least A.D. 62-70, 80-95 and last 115-130. Baur and his Tübingen School of thought date the Acts of Luke in as late as the middle of the second century. This view according to Dr. Archibald Thomas Robertson in Word Pictures in the New Testament asserts that this believe and dating of Acts has long since been abandoned because the Tübingen School held the second century to be the date of this late pamphlet as they termed it after the fashion of the Clementine Homilies. Considering Acts as the second volume to the Luke’s Gospel most scholars now date Acts in the 80s or a bit later according to Carson and Moo (p. 298). Some scholars put their estimation at about 80-95 A.D. because they believe the Acts shows signs of having been written some years after the first volume of Luke’s Gospel. However, if one took into comparing this assumption to historical evidence the time frame of 80-95 A.D. falls short of accuracy as one could see in Acts 18 under the leadership of a certain Claudius a Roman leader Christian Jews were expelled out of Rome; and prominent among these Christians were Aquila and his wife Priscilla; a time of about C. 49 which history has well before A.D. 60. Finally most scholars settled for dating...
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...Introduction According to a website, bible.org, Paul’s letter to the Romans is probably the most systematic presentation of the gospel in all of his writings, and indeed in all of the New Testament. The letter can be broken down into two major sections, namely, doctrine (1:18-11:36) and then application (12:1-15:13). Romans was written on a specific occasion and is an act of communication between two parties: the apostle Paul and the Roman Christians. To aid our reading of Romans we need to learn more about both parties. The Author: Paul the Apostle Paul did not found the Roman church, nor has he ever visited there. He has gotten to know some of the Roman Christians during his travels (16:3-15), but many of them he has never met. This may explain why he spends a little more time than usual introducing himself and explaining why he writes to a church that some would claim he has no authority over. Paul considered himself a slave (dou`lo") of Christ Jesus. Paul’s desire in this context is not to simply place himself among venerated Old Testament saints, or express his gratitude to be a servant of Christ Jesus (though both are true), but rather to communicate in plain terms his commitment and devotion to the Messiah Jesus. Though there are several reasons for his allegiance to Christ, it is ultimately due to his recognition of who Jesus is. Paul’s insertion of “Christ Jesus” into the Old Testament formula “a servant of Yahweh” shows the high view of Jesus that he maintained. He considered...
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...expected to do is one thing but how to do it is an entirely different task altogether. Paul lands in Athens after an unpleasant time in Berea and Thessalonica. Luke does not clarify on how many days Paul spent there but it appears like Paul only stays there for a short duration. At the time of Paul’s celebrated visit, Athens was a great center of art, architecture and philosophy. Provoked by the rampant idolatry in Athens, Paul starts preaching at the slightest available chance. He starts at the synagogue where Jews and gentiles worshipped and then goes to the market place. He then encounters the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers who bring him to Areopagus to preach. Authorship The author of the book of Acts is not mentioned in the book itself. However, at the beginning of Acts 1:1, the book is addressed to Theophilus as in Luke 1:1-4. The author may have seen some of the happenings of the early church but was not an original witness to the workings of Jesus. In addition, the author distinguishes himself from other gospel writers in that he distinctly addresses the intended audience at the beginning of his book. This study explores the sermon which led people to Christ. In this case, Apostle Paul makes an extraordinary address, a sermon that was proclaimed to a pluralistic society. His audience is largely comprised of idol worshipers (Acts 17:16), stoic and Epicureans philosophers, and those who had converted and practice Judaism. It is therefore evident that not all these people...
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...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Exegetical Study of Philippians 2:1-11 Submitted to Dr. Ram Bush, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of the course NBST 610-B07 Hermeneutics October 5, 2014 Table of Contents Thesis Statement 3 Passage Introduction 3 Background and Context 4 Content of Philippians 5 2:1Unity 5 2:2 Joy 6 2:3 Selflessness 6 2:4 Affirming Selflessness 7 2:5 Christian Humility 7 2:6 Humility of Christ 8 2:7 Sanctification 9 2:8 Humbled 9 2:9 Christ’s Glory 10 2:10 God’s Purpose 11 2:11 Jesus Christ is Lord 12 Application 12 BIBLIOGRPHY 14 Thesis Statement This paper will defend the theory that The Apostle Paul saw a type of arrogance in the Philippians but continued to mentor them towards prolific humility and unity. Passage Introduction “1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made...
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...David Trobisch and David Parker on the Origin of the New Testament, the Historical Jesus, and How Manuscripts Can Reveal What Texts Conceal Tom Dykstra I grew up with a picture of Paul traveling through Asia and Europe, founding congregations, counseling and teaching the men and women who had given their life to Jesus. If he could not visit them, he sent letters. When Paul died, his letters were kept as treasures. Each church that had received one of his letters saved it, had it read during worship services, and exchanged copies of the letter with other congregations close by. Later the congregations tried to complete their collection. But this view does not match the uniformity of manuscript evidence. --David Trobisch 1 It is even more remarkable that attempts to reconstruct the supposed document 'Q' (the lost collection used by both Matthew and Luke postulated by those who argue that Matthew and Luke are independent) use text-critical terminology to describe their activities. However, since all they are doing is making selections from a twentieth-century printed text, which does not even presume to provide confidently the text of the four-Gospel collection, never mind that of the independent first-century texts, this use of language must be dismissed as illusory. --David Parker 2 Modern scholarship has produced detailed biographies of Paul, massive multi-volume inquiries into “the historical Jesus,” and mountains of exegetical literature that claims to extract the author’s...
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...hurches are a lot like plants. If a plant does not grow, it will die. In other words, change is wired into the way plants were designed by God. Similarly, a church that does not change and grow also will die. But not all change is good. Change can lead us away from who we are. It can cause us to lose touch with God’s purpose for us. The Seventh-day Adventist Church must be especially on guard because this present-truth message is being proclaimed by no one but us! That’s a heavy responsibility—one we all, whether laity or ministry, must never forget. Through revelation and Spirit-guided consensus, God has led the church to even more light. The light of the past helps the church to navigate its way through the treacherous waters of change. Paul’s final word to the Thessalonians gives us inspired guidance in this crucial area. *Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, September 29. C 149 S unday September 23 (page 105 of Standard Edition) Faithful by God’s Choice (2 Thess. 2:13–17) The language of this section recalls the prayer at the beginning of 1 Thessalonians. It is almost as if Paul is returning to the place where he began, creating a natural conclusion to this pair of letters. Paul here expresses his concern that the believers in Thessalonica not deviate from the path on...
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...Romans and the World View By Randy E Brown Bible 425 Prof. Jerry Hall Liberty University, Lynchburg, Va Date: Introduction The Christian Life and World View according to Romans, should not be based on condemnation for those who are not in Christ Jesus. Based on the fact through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death (verse1-2).In the early Christian Practical Issues, The Apostle Paul forms the main character in relation to examining the respective entities attached to the issue. He was charged with three different assignments which were; preaching the gospel to the gentiles, providing the church leaders with the biblical instructions and encouragements, and lastly to teach the Christian community ways to live righteously in an unsaved world. Creation Romans on creation depicts that “for since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities such as the external power and the divine nature can easily be witnessed as also understood from what has been made. This reflects on the essence of creation as it presents God’s internal power and divine power. In Romans 5, those that place their trusts in Christ become “brad new creature” with the old things passing away where everything becomes new. Sin The consequences of sin according to the Romans are vast in relation to undermining ability to effectively interact with others. In Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God...
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...1 (a) Explain the arguments surrounding the dating of Luke’s Gospel. There has been arguments predicting the date of Luke's gospel and the possible dates are the AD60’s, AD80’s (middle late first century), AD180’s (late second century). The argument for the dating to be the AD60’s is that the book of acts had to have been written before AD62 as the book suddenly ends with the imprisonment of the apostle Paul. The book of acts ended with Paul’s imprisonment which was unexpected as it did not include any of the other important events that happened after the imprisonment took place for example: James martyrdom the brother of Jesus and the leader of Jerusalem which happened in AD62, also Paul’s martyrdom and the persecution of emperor Nero etc. Another example of evidence that Luke’s gospel was written before AD62 is that there is no mention of the fall of Jerusalem in the book of acts which happened in the AD70’s this was quite a big event that took place and was still not mentioned. The book of acts only seems to focus on the events that were relevant before the fall of Jerusalem. If the book of acts was written before AD62 then the gospel of Luke was written a short time before this. Luke’s purpose was to present the progression of the gospel from Jerusalem and Rome. Another possible date that is argued is the AD80’s as Luke’s knowledge of the great fall of Jerusalem as an event of the past is more apparent compared to Matthew and mark. Luke depended on marks gospel which...
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...denomination called the Metropolitan Community Church based on gay theology. In this introduction I will point out some obvious errors in gay revisionist arguments and outline a much wider scope of biblical principles that are related to how the church deals with homosexuals and the gay political movement. Scripture and gay revisionism Gay activists contend there are only seven scriptures that address homosexuality in the Bible and therefore homosexual behavior is insignificant in scripture. Gay activists also contend that theologians have misinterpreted the seven scriptures. The seven main scriptures are the Genesis account of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), the Mosaic Law in Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, the letter by Jude verse 7, and the Apostle Paul’s letters in Romans 1:26-7, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, and 1 Timothy 1:9-10. Gay activists like to point out that none of these scripture references are in the first four books of the New Testament that record the direct teachings of Jesus. The gay argument is that since Jesus never mentioned homosexual behavior, it should not be considered immoral. That argument lacks any merit when one realizes that...
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...The Biblical Worldview Liberty University Introduction In all of Christianity, there are few figures that are respected as much as Paul the Apostle. While Christ built his Church with Peter at its foundation, it was Paul that held the responsibility of spreading the Gospel of Christ to the world. The biggest target of his message was to Rome, the center of power and civilization in the West. His letter to the Romans manages to cover hard subjects that are often controversial. Through love and encouragement, Paul uses Romans 1-8 to instruct both Jews and Gentiles in Rome on the central aspects of the biblical worldview. The Natural World The natural world is a subject that has rocked the boat of Christian theology for centuries. Everything from strict creationism to biblical evolution has called into question the validity of the Church’s accepted beliefs on the natural world and how it was formed. Paul speaks plainly in Roman 1:18-10 (New International Version), explaining that God made himself obvious to humans through the creation of the world. To Paul, all of Creation stands out as a constant testimony to the power and existence of God. He goes on to point out that right and wrong is not something that is always learned. “They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them” (Romans 2:15). Through these words, Paul...
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...The Acts of the Apostles Following the wonderful story of the coming of God through man in Christ, the task of spreading the word and the good news fell on the hands of the apostles. It was their duty to expand the church and proclaim their message, exalting Christ and his kingdom. When it was time for Jesus to leave the earth he tells his disciples to continue his work and prepare for his second coming, a day only The Father knows. As the disciples leave Mount Olivet, the point of ascension, they congregate and try to figure out how to carry about God’s mission to the rest of the world, and wonder if the spirit of the Lord is still with them. Their answer came on the Day of Pentecost. On this day, as the disciples were praying and praising the Lord, the Holy Spirit descended upon them and they began to praise the Lord in foreign languages, languages familiar to the foreign onlookers – essentially speaking in tongues. The leaders of this movement were Peter and John, who took the initiative to fill in the vacuum that Judas had created when he betrayed Jesus by anointing and inducting Matthias into the group of eleven, thus making it twelve, just like how Jesus intended. As Peter and John begin their mission to illuminate the world on the good news, they come across a middle-aged man who has been lame since the day he was born. As they see him Peter looks at John and in a quick “let’s go” nudge to each other (as I would imagine) Peter heals the man in the name of Jesus...
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